Approved Minutes For Meeting On July 15, 2009

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Date: July 15, 2009

Program:

1. The meeting was called to order by the Chair, Jake Baggott. Visitors and guests were welcomed and introduced.

2. Roll Call

Members Present: Jake Baggott, Natalie Branca, Steve Buhman, Carla Coppi, Janet Douglas, JP Dunn, Pat Eckert, Jon Geiger, Vern Goode, Barbara Cray Lokaitis, Dana McKenzie, Layla Murphy, Mike Reiman, Rod Sievers, Sue Tin, Gloria Yuncker.

Members Absent: Allison Sutphin.

Proxies: Jake Baggott for Amy Rose, Steve Buhman for Tuesday Ashner, Pat Eckert for Sharon Walters, Sue Tin for Barbara Nowack.

Visitors and Guests: Tracy Bennett, Mary Nippe, Chris Pearson.

3. Minutes

The minutes of the meeting on June 17, 2009, were approved as presented.

4. Adoption of Meeting Agenda: J. Baggott reported that the Traffic Appeals Board report will be submitted in writing and appended to the minutes. R. Sievers moved to adopt the agenda; seconded by S. Buhman. Motion carried.

5. Reports

5.1 Chair 
J. Baggott reported he received a call from Dave Hahn that he is no longer with the University and consequently cannot continue on the Council. The Academic Affairs sector reps were charged with finding a replacement.J. Baggott reported on the July 13 constituency heads meeting with the Chancellor, noting most of the discussion centered on the budget and enrollment: i) the capital bill has been signed, which includes funding for the Transportation Education Center, Morris Library and renovations to the Communications building; ii) there are a number of programs on campus that are grant-funded and could be adversely affected if the budget does not go well. An inventory of those programs is being developed, which he hopes to share with the Council should that come to pass; iii) the 4.5% tuition increase is likely to be approved in order to cover the salary increases that were negotiated into the union contracts and already in place; iv) he asked if furloughs are being considered and was told that such an option is not currently on the table, despite the fact it is something the Governor is proposing; v) the cut in MAP funding could create major challenges this spring if it is not remedied; vi) enrollment is a growing concern. As of July 13, undergraduate enrollment is down by 11% and new housing contracts are down 6.8%; however, overall contracts are up 3% largely because of the two-year contracts that were put in place last year. Summer enrollment is down approximately 108 people; vii) the Chancellor remains very committed to the First Year Experience, reporting that $400,000 has been allocated for that program; viii) there is the possibility of increased international enrollment as a result of opportunities being made available to Chinese students. C. Coppi explained that the University signed an agreement with the University of International Business in Beijing and will have a number of new international students arriving for fall. There is also some hope that there will be Iraqi students coming this fall. J. Baggott added that there is potential for Kenyan students as well, given Associate Vice Chancellor Gitau's recent trip. Also, out of state enrollment is up approximately 100 students, mostly from Missouri and Indiana; ix) the Chancellor and President have been discussing whether to update the Southern at 150 report, and if so, whether it be done by this chancellor or the next. There will be ongoing discussion on this issue, and the Chancellor is looking for feedback. S. Buhman pointed out that someone coming in new may not agree with some of what is in the document. J. Baggott noted that Faculty Senate President Phil Howze made the observation that much of what is going into the University's accreditation report goes right back to Southern at 150, and it may not be in the University's best interests to make significant changes, particularly to those areas that are referenced in the accreditation process. In any event, the Chancellor is open to suggestions on how to approach the report. J. Baggott suggested the Council ponder this issue for possible discussion at the next meeting.

5.2 Board of Trustees 
J. Baggott reported the Board meets on July 15 in Springfield. The only significant item on the agenda impacting this campus are the changes to programs (approval of new programs, reasonable and moderate extensions, approval of off-campus program locations); there are several small changes being proposed. The other items on the agenda are the awarding of contracts related to the football stadium construction. There are several planning approvals for the facilities at Edwardsville.

5.3 Human Resources (HR) 
J. Baggott reported that at the Council's last meeting, JP Dunn asked for more information on the deferred comp changes for 403b plans. J. Baggott introduced Mary Nippe from Human Resources to discuss this issue. M. Nippe provided a summary of 403b changes that have occurred over the last couple of years and the approach the University has taken with its supplemental retirement plan (seeappendix 1). JP Dunn indicated that his Valic agent told him they are attempting to be re-approved. M. Nippe responded that Valic's rating declined because of its affiliation with AIG. She is aware that Valic is attempting to remove itself from AIG, which may bring up their rating. If that happens, then Valic can be re-instated, provided they meet all the other minimum qualifications and sign the agreement. J. Baggott asked how a third party administrator would be funded should one be brought in to assist the University with meeting its responsibilities. M. Nippe responded that in the Request for Proposal (RFP) written by HR, the vendors are asked to fund the cost. However, it is likely the vendors will pass on that cost to the participant, so HR is unsure whether to just charge the participant because most vendors are coming back with a per head cost. She noted that most universities in the state charge per participant.

5.4 Representatives to University Committees

5.4a Search Committee, Dean of Engineering - Chris Pearson 
C. Pearson submitted and reviewed his report (included as appendix 2).

5.4b Traffic Appeals - Tom Furby 
T. Furby submitted his written report (included as appendix 3).

5.5 Standing Committees

5.5a Executive Committee 
JP Dunn reported the committee met and reviewed the July agenda and June minutes. There was also lengthy discussion about the Judicial Review Board. It was discovered that three additional members would have to be appointed to the Board to complete vacant terms. JP Dunn noted the JRB is preparing to hear a case, and there may be one or two more in the works.

5.5b Committee on Committees 
D. McKenzie reported the request for committee volunteers was mailed to A/P staff, with a deadline of July 8. Data from the volunteer forms was compiled into a spreadsheet, and the committee met to determine University committee assignments based on that information. She presented for approval the FY10 University Committee Assignments (included as appendix 4). JP Dunn noted the committee had to make difficult decisions, as many volunteers are also Council members, and the committee wanted to give everyone an opportunity to serve. J. Geiger asked how close the committee came to giving volunteers their first choices. JP Dunn responded that most people received either their first or second choices. FY10 University Committee Assignments were approved.

5.5c Constituency Relations - No report.

5.5d Operating Paper - No report.

5.5e Staff Benefits 
J. Baggott reported the committee had to cancel its scheduled meeting and will convene once a new chair is identified.

5.5f Staff Welfare 
C. Coppi reported she sent her committee the Goals and Objectives of last year's committee to use as a starting point for this year. She hopes to schedule a meeting within the next month.

6. Old Business - None.

7. New Business

7.1 J. Baggott reported that this is the meeting where the standing committees are charged with developing their goals and objectives for the coming year. He asked the committees to prepare those for approval at the next meeting. He noted that reviewing last year's document, as Staff Welfare is doing, may be helpful. There was also some discussion within the Executive Committee about the Operating Paper Committee looking into the idea of setting term limits for Council members.

7.2 The A/P Staff Council Year End Budget Report for FY09 was distributed as an informational item. J. Baggott reported that there was some discussion in Executive Committee about the struggles that have occurred with the fall constituency luncheon. His hope is that the committee will look into this issue and come up with a more effective way of determining who will and will not show up, as well as encouraging people to attend when they indicate they will be there. J. Geiger asked if it is known what approximate percentage of people have not shown per year. The response was approximately 15-20%. A cap was attempted last year to no avail.

8. Announcements

J. Baggott reported that the Academic Affairs sector was charged with convening to select a person to complete the unexpired term of Dave Hahn. D. McKenzie reported she e-mailed the Council representatives from Academic Affairs and asked what their preference was for filling the vacancy. The reps decided to use the past spring's election results and selected P. Eckert, who had received the next highest number of votes on the ballot. J. Baggott welcomed P. Eckert to the Council.

9. Adjournment